DEPOSED from office, REMOVING from one Church to another, &c; and, finally, the ADVANTAGES attending this form of government in the Church.

The question, whether the Church has any warrant for this class of officers, will have different degrees of importance attached to it by different persons. Those, who believe that no form of Church government whatever can justly claim to be, in any sense, of divine right, will, of course, consider this inquiry as of small moment. If the Church be at perfect liberty, at all times, to adopt what form of government she pleases, and to modify, or entirely to change the same at pleasure; then no other warrant than her own convenience or will, ought to be required. But if the writer of the following pages be correct in believing, that there is a form of government for the family of God laid down in Scripture, to which it is the duty of the Church, in all ages, to conform; then the inquiry which it is the purpose of several of the succeeding chapters to pursue, is plainly important, and demands our serious attention.

It is believed, then, that the following positions, in reference to the office now under consideration may be firmly maintained, viz: That under the Old Testament economy in general, and especially in the Synagogue service, Elders were invariably appointed to exercise authority and bear rule in ecclesiastical society;-That similar Elders, after the model of the Synagogue, were appointed in the primitive Church, under the direction of inspired apostles ;—That we find in the writings of some of the early Fathers evident traces of the same office as existing in their times;-That the Waldenses, and other pious Witnesses for the truth, during the dark ages, retained this class of officers in the Church, as a divine institution ;-That the Reformers, with very few ex

ceptions, when they separated from the corruptions of Popery, restored this office to the Church. That a number of distinguished Divines and Churches, not otherwise Presbyterian, who have flourished since the Reformation, have remarkably concurred in declaring for the same office; and, finally, that Ruling Elders, or officers of a similar kind, are indispensably necessary in every well ordered congregation. Each of these topics of argument is entitled to separate consideration

CHAPTER II..

TESTIMONY FROM THE ORDER OF THE OLD TES TAMENT CHURCH.

It is impossible fully to understand either the spirit, the facts, or the nomenclature of the New Testament, without going back to the Old. The Christian religion is founded upon that of the Jews; or rather is the completion of it. The latter was the infancy and adolescence of that body of which the former is the manhood. And it is remarkable, that no class of theologians more strenuously contend for the connexion between the Jewish and Christian economies, and the impracticability of taking intelligent views of the one, without some previous knowledge of the other, than most of those who deny the apostolic origin of the class of officers now under consideration. With all such persons, then, we join issue. And, as a very large part of the titles and functions of ecclesiastical officers, were, evidently transmitted from the ceremonial to the spiritual economy, it is indispensably necessary, in order fully to understand their character, to go back to their source.

The term, Elder, corresponding with pt, in Hebrew, and gerburgos, in Greek, literally signifies an ageđ person. Among the Jews, and the eastern nations generally, persons advanced in life were commonly selected to fill stations of dignity and authority, because

they were supposed to possess most wisdom, gravity, prudence and experience. From this circumstance, the term Elder, became, in process of time, and by a natural association of ideas, an established title of office.* Accordingly, the Jews gave this title to most of their officers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, long before Synagogues were established. From the time of Moses, they had Elders over the nation, as well as over every city, and smaller community. These are repeatedly represented as inspectors, and rulers of the people; as "officers set over them;" and, indeed, throughout their history, there is every reason to believe that the body of the people never, themselves, exercised governmental acts; but chose their Elders, to whom all the details of judicial and executive authority, under their divine Legislator and Sovereign, were constantly committed.

The following specimen of the representation given on this subject, in various parts of the Old Testament, will suffice, at once, to illustrate and establish what is here advanced. Even while the children of Israel were in Egypt, they seem to have had Elders, in the official sense of the word; for Jehovah, in sending Moses to deliver them, said, Go, and gather the Elders of Israel

* It has been often remarked, that the ancient official use of this word, as implying wisdom and experience, is still preserved in many modern languages, in which Seigneur,Signior, Senator, and other similar words, are used to express both dignity and authority. It is evident that all these words, and some others which might be mentioned, are derivatives from the Latin word, Senior. It is no less plain, that the title of the Magistrates of Cities and Boroughs, who are called Aldermen, or Eldermen, is from the same origin with our modern term Elder. Many of the titles of respect, both in the Eastern and Western world, were it proper to take time for the purpose, might be traced, beyond all doubt to a similar source.

together, and say unto them, The Lord hath visited you, and hath seen what is done to you in Egypt; Exodus iii. 16. In the wilderness, the Elders of Israel are spoken of as called together by Moses, appealed to by Moses, and officially acting under that divinely commissioned leader, on occasions almost innumerable. These Elders appear to have been of different grades, and endowed, of course, with different powers; Exod. xvii. 5. xviii. 12. xxiv. 1, 9. Numbers xi. 16. Deuteron. xxv. 7—9. xxix. 10. xxxi. 9. 28. From these and other passages, it would seem, they had seventy Elders over the nation; and besides these, Elders over thousands, over hundreds, over fifties, and over tens, who were all charged with inspection and rule in their respective spheres. Again, we find inspectors and rulers of the people, under the name of Elders, existing, and on all public occasions, acting in their official character, in the time of Joshua; during the period of the judges; under the kings, especially during the most favored and happy season of their kingly dominion; probably during the captivity in Babylon; and, beyond all doubt, as soon as they returned from captivity, and became settled in their own land; until the Synagogue system was regularly established as the stated means of popular instruction and worship.

When the Synagogue service was instituted, is a question which has been so much controverted, and is of so much real uncertainty; that the discussion of it will not be attempted in this place, especially as it is a question of no sort of importance in the inquiry now before us. All that it is necessary for us to assume, is that it existed, at the time of our Lord's advent, and for a considerable time before; and that the Jews had been long accustomed to its order and worship; which no one, it is presumed,